Witnessing the Impact of the DART Spacecraft on the Double Asteroid System
A new study out of the University of California San Diego has found that the 2022 DART mission, which seeks to deflect an asteroid by crashing a spacecraft into it, could have an even greater impact than initially thought. Scientists have found that the kinetic energy released by the spacecraft could actually be enough to split the asteroid in two, reducing the risk of Earth’s surface being impacted. This is great news for all of us here on Earth, as it could mean the difference between a potentially catastrophic event and a much less damaging one. Let’s hope the DART mission is successful and that we can all rest a little easier knowing that the risk of a devastating asteroid collision is significantly reduced.
source: Phys.org